Vintage Barca ready for Real after 5-2 Bilbao rout

Lionel Messi scored once and played his part in four more goals as Barcelona closed to within a point of La Liga leaders Real Madrid with a commanding performance to beat Athletic Bilbao 5-2 on Sunday. The four-time World Player of the Year opened the scoring with a deflected free-kick and then teed up Luis Suarez to double the visitors’ advantage.

Mikel Rico briefly gave Athletic hope after half-time, but Messi’s goalbound header was then turned into his own net by Oscar de Marcos before Neymar rolled home Barca’s fourth from another Messi pass. Aritz Aduriz made it four goals in a crazy six minute spell by pulling another goal back for Athletic, but the hosts ended the game with 10 men after Xabier Etxeita was shown a straight red card for a horrible challenge on Suarez before Pedro Rodriguez added a fifth.

Barca have now won their last nine games, scoring 34 goals in the process, and will be further boosted by Real’s ragged showing in their 4-0 destruction at the hands of Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Messi took his tally for the season to 33 with the opener on 16 minutes, but there he had a touch of fortune as his free-kick struck Aymeric Laporte in the Athletic wall and wrong-footed goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz.

The hosts had a great chance for an instant response as Iker Muniain picked out Aduriz, but Claudio Bravo got down well to turn his effort behind. Moments later Iraizoz made amends for his weak hand in the opener with a stunning save to prevent Suarez heading home a perfectly weighted cross from Messi. Bravo was called into action again to parry Markel Susaeta’s well-struck free-kick, but Barca tore through the Athletic defence once more as Messi laid the ball into Suarez’s path for the Uruguayan to thump home his first goal in five games. Chances continued to flow at both ends as Laporte blocked Neymar’s goalbound effort on the line, whilst Aduriz saw a header come back off the inside of the post.

Athletic were given a lifeline on the hour mark when Rico swept home the rebound after Bravo had again denied Aduriz. However, Barca responded in supreme fashion as De Marcos could only turn Messi’s header into his own net before the Argentine teed up Neymar to slot home his 23rd goal of the season. The Basques refused to lie down as Aduriz pulled another goal back thanks to a rare Bravo error when his shot flew in at the near post. There was no excuse for Etxeita’s horror challenge on Suarez, though, as he raked his studs down the Uruguayan’s knee, forcing the former Liverpool man to be replaced by Pedro for the closing stages.